India Travel

From the West Coast

Related Properties from Gurgaon

Getting there from North America

India is on the other side of the planet from North America. If you live on the East Coast it's somewhat shorter to go via Europe, and from the West Coast it's shorter via the Pacific, but either way it's a long haul, involving one or more intermediate stops, and you'll arrive fresher and less jet-lagged if you can manage to fit in a few days' layover somewhere en route. Most North American travellers arrive at either Delhi or Mumbai (Bombay), India's busiest - and, in general, cheapest - air gateways. Either one makes a good starting/ending point for a tour

Coastal Bengal

The coast of West Bengal consists of two very distinct sections, on either side of the River Hooghly. To the east are the Sunderbans, one of the largest estuarine deltas in the world covering an area of 2500 square kilometres. Here you'll find the Sunderbans Tiger Reserve and the seaside resort of Bakkhali. On the west side of the Hooghly, an unbroken line of beaches goes all the way to Digha, the last resort before the coastline of Orissa begins.

Southern Orissa

Long stretches of dishevelled roadside settlements and rural stations along the National Highway do not inspire much excitement about the stretch of coast between Puri and Andhara Pradesh. However, there are a couple of scenic detours that may tempt you to break a long journey. Three hours south of the capital, at the foot of a barren, sea-facing spur of the Eastern Ghats - which creep up to the coast here - is India's largest salt-water lake. Chilika's main attractions are the one million or so migratory birds that nest here in winter, and leisurely boat trips to its islands.

Getting there from Australia & New Zealand

There are no nonstop flights to India from either Australia or New Zealand; you have to make at least one change of plane in a Southeast Asian hub city (usually Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or Bangkok). The choice of routes and airlines is bewildering, and most agents will offer you a combination of two or more carriers to get the best price. Bear in mind when you're shopping around which city you want to fly into; your point of arrival may well affect your eventual itinerary, and there's no point in saving a few dollars on the cost of an air ticket

Details of North Goa

Beyond the mouth of the Mandovi estuary, the Goan coast sweeps north in a near-continuous string of beaches, broken only by the odd saltwater creek, rocky headland, and three tidal rivers - two of which, the Chapora and Arondem, have to be crossed by ferry. The most developed resorts, Calangute and Baga, occupy the middle and northern part of the seven-kilometre strip of pearl-white sand that stretches from the Aguada peninsula in the south to a sheer laterite promontory in the north. Formerly, the infamous colonies of Goa hippies gathered in these two villages during their annual winter migration; now

The Island of Diu in Gujarat

Set a little off the southern tip of Saurashtra, the island of DIU, less than 12km long and just 3km wide, was still under Portuguese control only forty years ago.Today, governed as a Union Territory from Delhi along with Daman, it has a relaxed atmosphere quite different from anywhere in central Saurashtra. Though irs smallish beaches are nowhere near as idyllic as Goa's, most visitors stay longer than intended, idling in cafes, cycling around the island or strolling along the cliffs. The leisurely pace is also due in part to the lack of alcohol restrictions: the island's many bars can

Vasco da Gama South Goa

VASCO DA GAMA (commonly referred to as "Vasco"), 29km by road southwest of Panjim, sits on the narrow western tip of the Mormugao peninsula, overlooking the mouth of the Zuari River. Acquired by the Portuguese in 1543, this strategically important site was formerly among the busiest ports on India's west coast. It remains a key shipping centre, with container vessels and iron-ore barges clogging the choppy river mouth, but holds nothing of interest for visitors, particularly since the completion of the Konkan Railway,

Little Andaman is the furthest point south in the archipelago

Little Andaman is the furthest point south in the archipelago you can travel to on a standard one-month tourist permit. Located ten hours by sea from Port Blair, most of the island has been set aside as a tribal reserve for the Onge and is thus off limits. The only areas you're allowed to visit lie on either side of the main settlement, Hut Bay, which sits halfway down the east coast. The northern part of this stretch has been mercilessly clear-felled, leaving a stark wasteland flanking the main road to the largest beach at Butler Bay, 16km from Hut

Mount Harriet and Madhuban in The Andaman Islands

The richly forested slopes of Mount Harriet make for decent exercise and can easily be done as a day-trip from Port Blair. You can take one of the hourly passenger ferries from Chatham to Bamboo Flats or, if you want to have your own transport on the other side, there are five daily vehicle ferries from Phoenix Bay. From Bamboo Flats it's a pleasant seven-kilometre stroll east along the coast and north up a path through trees hung with thick vines and creepers to the 365-metre summit, which affords fine views back across the bay. An intermittent bus service runs

Around Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu

The sandy hinterland and flat estuarine paddy fields around Mamallapuram harbour a handful of sights well worth making forays from the coast to see. A short way north along the mam highway, the Government College of Sculpture and elaborately carved Tiger Cave can easily be reached by bicycle. To get to the Crocodile Bank, where rare reptiles from across south Asia are bred for release into the wild, or Dakshina Chitra, a museum devoted to south Indian architecture and crafts, you'll need to jump on and off buses or rent a moped for the day. Finally, a good target for

Practicalities in Goa

Other than to shop, you may want to visit Mapusa to arrange onward transport. All buses between Goa and Maharashtra pass through, so you don't need Co travel to Panjim to book a ticket to Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore or Mangalore. Reservations for private buses can be made at the numerous agents' stalls at the bottom of the square, next to where the buses pull in; the Kadamba terminal - the departure point for long-distance state buses and local services to Calangute, Baga, Anjuna,Vagator, Chapora, and Arambol - is five minutes' walk down the main road, on the southwest edge of

Ponda and around in Goa

Characterless, chaotic PONDA, 28km southeast of Panjim and 17km northeast of Margao, is Ponda taluka's administrative headquarters and main market town, but not somewhere you're likely to want to stay. Straddling the busy Panjim-Bangalore highway (NH-4), the town's ugly concrete centre is permanently choked with traffic, and guaranteed to make you wonder why you ever left the coast. Of the few visitors who stop here.1, most do so en route to the nearby Hindu temples or wildlife reserves further east, or to take a look at Goa's best-preserved sixteenth-century Muslim monument, the Safa Masjid, 2km west on the Panjim road.

Arrival and information in Gujrat

Porbandar is largely enclosed by water; by the sea to the south and by a smelly freshwater creek curving round from the north into the busy harbour on the western side of town. A path follows the coast from east to west but the beaches in between, used as public toilets, are rather unpleasant. Porbandar's main street, Mahatma Gandhi (MG) Road, runs from a fountain at its eastern end, northeast of which is the railway station, to a triple gateway at its western end, near Gandhiji's house, in the middle, at the main square, it is bisected by Aria Sumaj

Visiting Gujarat

Geographically Gujarat takes a little from each of its neighbours: with forested hilly tracts and fertile plains in the south and east, dry desert sands in the northwest and a wide stretch of coast, in parts sandy, and in parts rocky and barren, that includes the coral-enriched shoreline close to Jamnagar. It can become unbearably hot in summer, though a cool sea breeze does relieve the tension of heavy pre-monsoon days along the coast. The best time to visit is in the warm pleasant months (though nights can get chilly in midwinter) between October and February, when you may also

Practicalities of Kanchipuram lies 70km southwest of Chennai in Tamil Nadu

Flanked on the south by the River Vegavathi, Kanchipuram lies 70km southwest of Chennai, and about the same distance from the coast. Buses from Chennai, Mamallapuram and Chengalpattu stop at the stand in the town centre on Raja Street. The sleepy railway station in the northeast sees only five daily passenger services from Chengalpattu (one of them, #161, originating in Chennai) and two from Anakkonam. As most of the main roads are wide and traffic rarely unmanageable, the best way to get around Kanchi is by bicycle - available for minimal rates (Rs2/hour) at stalls west and northeast of the bus

North of Kozhikode in Kerala

The beautiful coast of Kerala, north of Kozhikode, is a seemingly endless stretch of coconut palms, wooded hills and virtually deserted beaches; the towns hold little of interest for visitors, most of whom bypass the area completely. However, then you miss out on the fun of a search through the villages for Teyyattam, the extraordinary masked trance dances that take place throughout the region during winter.

Moving on from Junagadh in Gujarat

Trains to Rajkot, Ahmedabad and the south coast call at Junagadh. The Down #352 leaves at 6am every morning for Sasan Gir (2hr 30min) and Delvada (6hr) for connections to Diu. It's slow, but more comfortable than the bus. Of the services to Rajkot, the afternoon Veraval-Rajkot Mail #9837 is the best; for Ahmedabad the overnight Girnar Express #9945 is the most convenient. There are two morning expresses to Veraval. Buses from the long-distance bus stand, just west of Chittakhana Chowk, serve destinations around the state, although you'll have to change at Una for Diu. Bus #4 for Girnar (7 daily;

The northeast of Chennai in Tamil Nadu

Fazed by the fierce heat and air pollution of Chennai, most visitors escape as fast as they can, heading down the Coromandel coast to India's stone-carving capital, Mamallapuram, whose ancient monuments include the famous Shore Temple and a batch of extraordinary rock sculptures. En route, it's well worth jumping off the bus at Dakshina Chitra, a new folk museum 30km south of Chennai, where traditional buildings from across south India have been beautifully reconstructed. Further inland, Kanchipuram is an important pilgrimage and silk-sari-weaving town from where you can loop southwest to Tiruvannamalai, a wonderfully atmospheric temple town clustered at the

Veraval and Somnath in Gujarat

On the Saurashtran coast, midway between Porbandar and Diu, the most lingering impression of the port of VERAVAL is its fishy stench. There's little to do here, unless you can endure the smells to watch the dhow-building in the docks, but Veraval is the jumping-off point for trips to SOMNATH. 5km east, whose temple is one of the twelve jyotrilitigas of Shiva (see Contexts). Its shrines to Vishnu and connection with Krishna - who is said to have lived here with the Yadavas during the time of the Makabharata nuke it equally important for Vaishnavices.

Around the island in Gujarat

Cliffs and rocky pools make up much oi the southern coast of the island, giving way to the occasional sandy stretch. South of Diu Town is the small Jallandhar Beach; the larger Chakratirth Beach, overlooked by a high mound, is a little to the west, just outside the tit) walls. In many ways this is the most attractive beach and it's usually deserted, making it the best option tor an undisturbed swim, especially for female travellers.At its western end. Sunset Point provides the regular spectacle of a golden disc sinking into the waves. The longest and only developed beach is